Road Traffic Accidents & Dogs - If your dog has been involved in a road traffic accident, the situation is often very serious.

Approach the injured dog with care, looking for signs of the injury, and be aware of any additional danger to yourself and the dog. If the dog is in the middle of a road, pick it up very carefully using a garment or a towel; be careful not to aggravate any injuries. Also, if possible fit a muzzle to the dog as it is likely to be in pain and could become aggressive and try to bite.

Enquire if there any witnesses who saw what happened, as this will help the vet to determine the best course of action.

Your first priority is to determine if the dog is breathing. If the dog seems to be unconscious, pinch its ear as a response will confirm if it is really unconscious. It is also advisable to keep the telephone number of your vet in the memory of your mobile phone, so that you can contact him without delay.

To determine if the dog is breathing, look to see if its chest is rising and falling. If it is not breathing, artificial respiration must be carried out as soon as possible. Then check to see if it has a heartbeat, which can be done by checking if the dog has a pulse by placing two fingers on the inside of its rear thigh. If its heart is not beating, chest compressions must be carried out.

This section describes conditions associated with serious accidents such as road traffic accidents and includes internal injuries and trauma, lacerations and skin tears, clean cuts, puncture wounds and shock.

Please select from the subjects included in the menu to the right of this screen. To access the content of this section you will first need to login. If you don't have an account then please register here, don't worry it's free.

All content of the VetsDirect website is provided for general information purposes only, and is in no way intended to replace the professional care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of your own veterinary surgeon. VetsDirect is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or course of action taken by a user based on the content of the VetsDirect Website. You should always consult your own veterinary surgeon if you are in anyway concerned about your pets health. For more information please refer to our Terms and Conditions.